In a hyper-connected society, there is a pressure to remain connected to personal devices at all times. In fact, mobile devices have revolutionized day-to-day interpersonal relationships and, in some situations, dominate every aspect of someone's day. As a result of this pervasiveness, people are encouraged to focus on the task at hand and to maximize every moment of every day. If someone is not overstimulated at any given moment, it is a conscious choice on that person's part. This permeates throughout society and is particularly pervasive when people are in a contained environment and have to spend an extended period of time together. It only takes a few seconds on a subway, metro, or bus to see faces buried in some sort of device. Social ramifications aside, this presents an issue when someone needs to pay attention to what they are doing. For instance, it is particularly dangerous to try to drive while also being engaged on the phone in some way.
State and local legislatures have attempted to curb the issue of texting while driving or otherwise engaging in cell phone behavior in some unauthorized or potentially disastrous manner while in control of a car. With increasing news reports of accidents occurring due to people being distracted by cell phones, it is clear that people are at a greater risk of endangering others when they are preoccupied by their phones. However, some uses might be permissible, like calling someone if there is an emergency or checking pre-set directions to make sure nothing has changed en route to the correct location.
So far, talking on a hand-held cellphone while driving is banned in fourteen states and the District of Columbia. The use of all cellphones by novice drivers is restricted in thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia. Text messaging is banned for all drivers in forty-six states and the District of Columbia.
Employers, parents, and governments all have a vested interest in keeping people safe, especially if they are operating cars, trucks, or motorcycles. In 2014, the National Safety Council reported that cell phone use was estimated to be involved in about 26% of all motor vehicle crashes, an increase from the year prior. In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control stated that over eight people were killed each day and 1,161 were injured due to distracted driving, which included cell phone usage or eating. In a Consumer Guide report, the Federal Communications Commission stated that forty percent of American teens stated that they had been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger. In that same report the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that text messaging created a crash risk twenty-three times worse than driving while not distracted.
There have been attempts to dissuade from distracted driving, increase focus on the road, and encourage proper, traditional driving etiquette. These solutions normally come with a trade-off, such as completely limiting a driver from using their cell phone, blocking every device within a car from being able to use their phones, or requiring an external device to block usage.